Jamaicans among persons detained in US Immigration sweep

7:40 am, Sat May 25, 2019

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency says a number of Caribbean nationals are included in the 31 immigrants detained during a sweep in New York by officers from the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

ICE said that the sweep, which ran from May 19-23, “focused on persons ordered removed from the US with criminal convictions or pending charges”.

It said ERO deportation officers arrested the 31 individuals for violating US immigration laws and those detained include nationals from Jamaica, Grenada, St. Kitts-Nevis, the Dominican Republic, as well as China, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, Peru and Ukraine.

ICE said 26 of those arrested were convicted criminals or had criminal charges pending, and more than 29 had been issued a final order of removal and failed to depart the United States, or had been previously removed from the United States.

“Some of the individuals arrested during these enforcement actions may face federal criminal prosecution for illegal re-entry after removal. The arrestees who are not being federally prosecuted will be processed administratively for removal from the United States.

“Those who have outstanding orders of removal, or who returned to the United States illegally after being removed, are generally subject to immediate removal from the country. Two individuals are in ICE custody awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge,” ICE said.

In Elmont, Long Island, ICE said a citizen of St. Kitts was arrested with an outstanding removal order.

ICE said he was previously convicted of attempted assault second degree.

“The victim in that case was a three-month old child that was struck multiple times in the face causing a fracture to the orbital bone,” ICE said, adding that in Rosedale, Queens, New York City, a Jamaican national was arrested with an outstanding removal order.

ICE said he was previously convicted of reckless driving on two separate occasions, and has pending criminal charges for assault second degree: intent to cause physical injury with weapon/instrument, burglary third degree; and illegal entry with intent to commit crime, identity theft, obstruct governmental administration, possession of burglar tools and resisting arrest.

In Hempstead, Long Island, ICE said another citizen of Jamaica was arrested with an outstanding removal order, who was previously convicted of disorderly conduct: create hazardous or physical offensive condition and harassment.

“ICE officers conduct targeted enforcement actions daily, and like in this initiative, we arrest criminal aliens who are public safety threats in the communities,” said Thomas R. Decker, field office director for ERO New York.

“With the misinformation and misrepresentation about ICE, we continue to focus of the truth of our priority, which is to target and arrest criminal aliens to remove them off the streets in the interest of public safety.”

Last year, 2018, ICE said it deported 258,085 immigrants from the United States.